Giving Mock Interview Feedback
I have a reputation as a tough grader. I don't sugarcoat things. Clients come to me for hard truths. I have had too many clients think they are ready when they are not. Therefore, I feel obligated to make sure I am honest when I think something will not pass muster. But it takes years of experience to be able to provide that feedback and back it up with evidence and examples that make it productive.
If you are reading this, you are probably looking for a clear and simple set of rules for giving others feedback as you prepare for PM interviews. I will provide one, with some caveats.
Over the years, I have developed too many grading templates. None of them last for very long. I have tried quiz formats, drag-down menus, fill-in-the-blank forms, and templates with the good and the bad to highlight or strikethrough. Eventually, I typically fall back to highlighting the most critical feedback in the order I hear it. There is no perfect grading format.
A Simple Format
That said, there is one tried-and-true method, borrowed from great quarterly feedback formats. When giving feedback, it is good to follow that ever-helpful Rule of Three. In this case:
What to keep doing (what went well)
What to stop doing (what went poorly)
What to start doing (what might have been missed)
OPTIONAL: Share a Pass/Fail Grade
Guiding your Partner
If you want to help your partner give you great feedback, either tell or ask them the following:
Focus Area
i.e. This week, I am focused on good user segmentation.
Or: Are you working on any particular part of the framework today?
Known Issues
i.e. I am working on being less verbose, please note when I ramble too much.
Or: Do you have any outstanding communication issues you are working on, such as filler words or being too verbose?
Preferred Question Types
i.e. I have mastered marketplace prompts, please give me big ambiguous prompts to see how I handle narrowing them down.
Or: Do you have a list of questions I should avoid or focus on today?
If you are working on a specialized type of company focus, for example, health care, prepare a list of questions that qualify to help you. Let your partner pick from that list rather than struggle to find a prompt that only helps you a little bit.
The Pass/Fail Grade
Hire, Leaning Hire, Leaning No Hire, Hire
This is the language of interview panels and hiring committees. They are forced to take a stand on hiring or not. Practice doing the same.
Point Systems
1 to 4
1 to 5
Setup with your Partner
Your conversation with your partner might sound like this:
"I am currently working to improve my user segmentation. Please focus most of your feedback on user empathy and segmentation. Additionally, I know I use the filler word "so" too much, if you can keep an eye on it and note when I default to it, that would be wonderful. And, if you need some prompt ideas, here is a list of prompts I haven't yet practiced."
Delivering Feedback
When you give feedback, you could say something such as:
You nailed the clarifying questions, those were some of the best I have heard in a long time.
Your rambling was worst in the strategic setup, where I noticed you spoke for 5 minutes which caused you to run over time and cut yourself short on metrics.
You might consider making your user groupings more MECE and showing a little more empathy. For example, the last time I did these prompts, I tried: (1) those with chronic pain (2) those with recurring but not chronic pain (3) those with a temporary injury.
While this was one of the better answers I have heard, I will be honest, I am Leaning No Hire because the rambling and user groupings wouldn’t have passed.
If you have a link to a good article to help out, bonus. You can find a number of my articles on user segmentation in the larger blog you are reading now.
In conclusion, keep your feedback both positive and constructive. Provide examples from your own practice if you have them. Grab a helpful article when it brings home the point. You will be better for it. You improve when you give good feedback because you are channeling your prospective interviewers.
Other articles in this series include: